The Libertarian International Organization (http://www.Libertarian-International.org ) notes its over 600,000 pledged Libertarians must not mis-represent themselves to other groups, or accept other non-Libertarian groups as representing themselves as "Libertarian." Police entities are welcome to examine LIO groups as champions of individual rights and resources for voluntary options, but deceptive or entrapment tactics are immoral and encourages user to report any to police superiors. Libertarian progress requires forthright means, and LIO encourages supporters to act with and keep "motives high."

BACKGROUND

This summarizes several previous advisories stating that one should avoid...

People claiming to "make Libertarianism more pragmatic or pure" especially while proposing to "take over" or deceive other entities;

Or that attempt to identify or conflate Libertarianism with its applications, such as small-government, socialist, anarchist or other limited applications or any constitution, country, economic system (Libertarianism adnits all forms of economic organization so long as voluntary), religious or business group ( an example of a trial balloon to confuse being circulated : http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2605050/posts ) ;

Or attempt to confuse Libertarian-orientation (less government abuse, more rights) with Libertarian-direction (increasingly voluntarist) or LIO Libertarian approaches, or deride them;

Or deride purported Libertarian failure (where have they been for years?) which they will help through changing Libertarianism into something else, without reference to the actual goals of its groups, or call on Libertarians to lie in any way as a purported "Reform" group has done;

Claim Libertarianism is 'do your thing' and urge you to ignore the teachings of Libertarian Founders and elders without which there is no Libertarianism, and so what they demand is OK; or that the latest manufactured crisis is reason to believe the world is collapsing unless you support their (deceptive or expensive) strategy now;

Or propose expensive schemes on the basis that Libertarians have "done nothing for decades" or that "Libertarians take over" other groups;

Attack or misrepresent recieved leaders or groups such as LIO or ISIL, or movement "old-timers" including past local team achievements;

...are typically government informants or troublemakers with set instructions to confuse Libertarian discourse along the lines noted above (many of whom are recent military), moles from religious extremists or other parties or groups, or crackpots with their own opportunist schemes. Please simply hand them literature and send them on their way: do not get involved with them.

Many of these frauds are suddenly presented as candidates, instant experts, and leaders of Libertarian groups. While people make mistakes or have variant opinions, the Libertarian movement is periodically subject to widespread infiltration scemes and attempts to conflate Libertarianism with typically extreme right-wing anti-philosophies, or as a cover for anti-democratic propaganda. These groups are well-organized. In many cases they work with police or military groups with extremist ties to induce unstable persons to perform illegal acts. They may seize control of groups, destroy their documents, and block actual Libertarians, then entoil groups with real legal difficulties from misrepresentation. In allince parties such as the USLP, they exploit the range of views tolerated to confuse even fascist proposals with Libertarianism in some cases.

LIO encourages activists to share non-partisan LIO and Libertarian-interest perspectives with all groups in a courteous manner, never to "take over" or attack any group. Social and economic entrepreneurs should be proactive and open in operations as circumstances allow. We encourage tolerant, secular moralism--not fanatic deception.

LIO encourages candidates wishing to advance Libertarianism/use of Libertarian tools not running for educational, ballot or legislative proposal support reasons to run:

After satisfactory service on appointed then non-partisan elective boards

Several times in low-budget campaigns to build a following

Advance voluntary solutions in a non-attack posture in close consensus with affected groups and listening to the public

It does not condone inexperienced, questionably funded, and attack candidates that misrepresent Libertarian and voluntary approaches of any party, much less Libertarians claiming to advance its views. LIO is of the view that Libertarian concepts are best advanced by civil and private entities, direct democracy, and appointive office; elected office is an important stabilizing but trailing factor and an initiative will expand these guidelines in due course.

The media and researchers should also employ caution in giving credence to purported or assumed Libertarian spokesmen or academic experts who then propound bizarre or palpably anti-voluntary theories. In one case a candidate was apparently letting people believe he spoke for LIO and when confronted, truthfully denied that he ever supported Libertarianism. At Wikipedia a group of Libertarian editors were discovered to be CVommunist Party advocates. This often misleads the media to conserve rigt-wing enthusiasms with Libertariam in the culture: for example, the recent flap against government firehouses using "Libertarian" fees versus the actual Libertarian program of encouraging proactive education, and fireproof/automatic fire suppressants alomg with comprehensive volunteer groups funded by endowments

Sadly, many Libertarian parties and groups have been captured by these people who then wreak havoc. The LIO is in the process of issuing standards manuals for guidance of all concerned.

LIO is non-partisan and promotes dialogue on the SMILE agenda; and its Fellows and observers advise a variety of groups to strengthen, not weaken, democracy and voluntary solutions with a variety of independent projects and tactics, none of which involve pretending to be, or be pretended to be, anything else, especially under color of "helping" the movement and community.

In 1970 LIO facilitator Michael Gilson-De Lemos stated: "They will seek to herd us, but pledged Libertarians shall be herded as cats: when they see the meat, they shall self-organize as a pride of Lions for Big Game, not run after any rabbit they see."

In particular, teams inspired by LIO helped bring about the spread of best-practice oriented democracy and enterprise; the fall of the Communist and other dictators; the rise of the internet by unblocking legislation; the rise of incomes and lowering of costs by fighting corrupt legalized monopolies; and the slow training of increasingly Libertarian civic leaders against all odds in recent years.

If you look at the articles on the LIO page, you'll see LIO Libertarianism and the movement in general is doing just fine in slowly but systematically attaining its set goals without this nonsense. All Libertarianism needs to triumph is to share this site and its empowering links with common ground groups to every household, and human goodness will do the rest. We are volunteers for voluntary action.

I suggest you register your group with LIO and join the Facebook for updates. We're forming groups worldwide over the next few years to provide continuity and training; in the meanwhile, a reading program at our site of free e-books (above) and other materials approved by leading Libertarians is underway.

Remember that what we teach is simple: That with voluntary options that respect rights, things improve. This overrides but ennobles all institutions.

In summary, the old advice should be followed: Friends never ask you to do anything dishonest. Non-coercion and proaction is our approach.

_____________________________________

Update, 11/14/2010: N.B.-- In contrast, a reader sent us the following noting that nonetheless the word is getting out, while people are busy trying to distort it. The author quotes a 2006 article in the defunct Sierra Times paper. Repeating this type of message is the sort of thing people should focus on:

"(I'm unhappy about) People complaining about third-parties, particularly libertarians. Sometimes, they are the necessary ingredient to get coalitions built and get things done.

(from an article) 'Critics of the Libertarian Party, who focus on their modest if growing number of office-holders, are often unaware of the Party's emphasis on local community networking and consensus coalitions that underlie real politics. Indeed, many of their most signal policy victories--the Earned Income Credit, the increasing collapse of ballot restrictions across the US, and anti-poverty programs such as the Alaska Permanent Fund--are the result of the Libertarian willingness to envision and do the hard work coalitions require, and then share the credit.'

The passage of eminent domain limits and amendments in many state elections this year were largely the work of libertarians..."

He also sent us a part of an e-mail he found where we also learned of an attack on this advisory by someone apparently recently in the military and recently in the USLP who originally complained of infiltration by 'pragmatic libertarians' but suggested one must deceptively infiltrate groups then, when referred to our advisory, "...almost point for point used the behaviors above described like a script, including denouncing it for not understanding Libertarian thinker and LIO advisor Murray Rothbard--who co-created the original advisory which I read decades ago. He advises his readers in the post, after his garbled definitions and out-of-context criticisms, to ignore LIO as not knowing anything about 'American Libertarianism,' " says our correspondent, who adds: "No person in his right mind would presume to lecture on something they've recently come to study...except an infiltrator. Unfortunately there's one in many meetings meeting unless the senior person takes a stand ready to be instant experts instead of getting expert by using the tools."

Finally, it should be noted that Wikipedia is particularly unreliable on Libertarianism, as we have learned an anti-Libertarian group of editors has been removing stories and substituting common misperceptions.

While USLP directed, this sort of thing affects all Libertarian-interested groups. One hopes educative efforts we describe elsewhere will help, but many are printing this advisory for their next meeting.

Welcome!

Note: While we highlight fan activity from web and other sites, our d-base is always confidential and never shared.

The average LIO fan is an Asian woman like educator Fely Gahan interested in more voluntary tools, transparent democracy, and tolerance. They're (2015) 8 million+ caring homes like yours distributed proportionately in every country, class, and major ethnicity. If you're wondering why China is moving towards more prosperity and India is becoming a lower-tax powerhouse where Ayn Rand is a best-seller--now you know. Find out more.

Most of the world's poor are in the recovering coerced egalitarian countries--whether Communist or fascist-socialist--as often LIO fan led reform is increasing the standard once thought sufficient for social justice. Libertarian Nobelist and LIO Fellow Professor Milton Friedman wanted you to join him in ending pseudo-solutions by sharing concrete SMILE tools to end poverty to your country: Replacing destructive coercive taxes with endowments and voluntary taxes, simplified automatic incomes with amenities such as basic homes and healthcare, legalizing community foodshares, worker/user co-operatives, unions, and corporations that can have a non-profit component, and more. In some countries as China, wages have (2015) risen 20X from the egalitarian Communist norm thanks to SMILE tools, and now 1 in 10 US families--from 1 in 300 when reforms began in 1972-- are millionaires whose dollar buys things like web computers that once cost millions but were illegal--and with 90+% cheaper and better products thanks to continuing deregulation of choice in everything from air travel to phone systems to food.

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